Just when you thought stagnation might finally win, DEVO says "nah."
The Akron architects of art-punk weirdness have announced their 2026 tour, Mutate, Don’t Stagnate, a perfectly on-brand rallying cry that doubles as both philosophy and threat. The run kicks off in early April, warming up the engines before the band’s long-awaited return to Coachella on April 10 and 17—their first appearance at the festival since 2010, back when the future still felt optional.
The tour launches April 3 in Wheatland, California, before zig-zagging across the West with stops in Reno, Salt Lake City, Phoenix, and more. If you’ve ever wanted to experience DEVO’s elastic grooves, stiff choreography, and hyper-controlled chaos in a room full of fellow devotees (and the newly converted), this is your moment.
DEVO’s live shows have always been less “concert” and more experiment. Songs snap like warning sirens. Visuals feel engineered rather than decorative. And beneath the humor—yes, the hats, the moves, the satire—there’s still that uneasy truth they’ve been hammering home since the ’70s: progress is not guaranteed, and humanity might actually be getting dumber.
What makes this tour hit harder is how well DEVO’s ideas have aged. Their once-futuristic blend of punk abrasion, synth mutation, and cultural critique feels eerily current, especially as a new generation discovers the band through streaming, documentaries, and memes that accidentally prove their point. The group’s recently GRAMMY-nominated feature documentary (now streaming on Netflix) has only amplified that rediscovery, reframing DEVO not as novelty icons, but as prophets with good rhythm.
The current lineup carries that legacy forward with precision. Mark and Bob Mothersbaugh and Gerald Casale remain at the helm, while Jeff Friedl powers the drums and Josh Hager fills the rhythm guitar and synth role once held by Bob Casale. It’s not nostalgia, it’s maintenance of the machine.
More dates are expected, because DEVO never really does anything halfway. Call it a tour, call it a reminder, call it a warning wrapped in beat. DEVO is still here, still sharp, and still asking the uncomfortable questions—louder than ever.
More info and ticket prices HERE.
Photo by Raph_PH licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.
